Taylor, 35, is the NFL’s newest whiz kid head coach, having been hired by the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday.

He has the requisite experience: assistant coach for the Miami Dolphins, 2012-15; offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, University of Cincinnati, 2016; and the past two years as quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Rams.

He’s come to the right place — a pint or two of Hudepohl, Cincinnati’s finest, may be just the thing to rinse his aftertaste of the Super Bowl.

Taylor has hit the ground running, which should hearten the Bengals’ long-suffering fans (it’s been 28 seasons since the team won a playoff game). But here’s pause for thought — Taylor is trending toward surrounding himself with men rooted in the Raiders’ inglorious recent past. In doing so he is endeavoring to blend two football cultures burdened with toxic football feng shui.

Is it possible he isn’t hip?

One of his first hires was Brian Callahan as offensive coordinator. Callahan comes to Cincinnati from Oakland, where he was the Raiders quarterbacks coach.

Ahem.

Now it’s true that under Callahan in 2018, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr boosted his passer rating from 86.4 to 93.9. His interceptions were down, but so were his touchdown passes. Moreover, Carr seemed more indecisive and timid than he’s been at his best with the Raiders. According to Pro Football Focus, Carr threw deep on only 9.2 percent of his passes, second-lowest among 33 qualifying NFL quarterbacks. He also took 51 sacks, more than 2016 and ’17 combined.

There are a lot of factors that affect a quarterback’s performance. But when you’re the quarterbacks coach you wear it just as the quarterback does.

There is another Callahan connection. Brian Callahan is the son of former Raiders head coach Bill Callahan, who is remembered in the East Bay for crashing and burning Jon Gruden’s team in Super Bowl XXXVII as Gruden watched from the opposing sideline. Oh, and this:

Bill Callahan left the Raiders to be the head coach of Nebraska, where Taylor was his starting quarterback in 2005 and ’06.

Finally, the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Taylor is rumored to be considering another former Raiders employee for defensive coordinator.

With Zac Taylor officially becoming #Bengals head coach, his staff is crystallizing: Brian Callahan as OC. Darrin Simmons staying as special teams coordinator. Nothing firm on DC, but one name to watch is Jack Del Rio, who likely will interview this week.

Del Rio, you’ll recall, performed a feat of absolute magic in 2016, coaching the Raiders to their only postseason appearance in the past 16 years. Or for you who respond better to historical markers, since Bill Callahan’s ill-fated visit to the Super Bowl.

(UPDATE: USA Today has since reported that Del Rio is no longer a candidate.)

This is not to say that Zac Taylor won’t be a huge success and become more popular in Cincinnati than three-way chili. The only thing for certain is that heartburn will ensue, no matter how it plays out.

Gary Peterson is a sports writer for the Bay Area News Group. His prior assignments included 31 years as a sports columnist, serving as a general assignment news reporter, covering courts and writing a metro column before finding his way back to sports.